A Different Path
by Grooms.BreAnn
Summary: In New Moon Edward left Bella, but he never came back. Bella moved on with her life, she did something amazing with it. She had spent the past 14 months in Kosovo, she had volunteered two years of her life to the Peace Corps. She had no regrets about it, her new life was fulfilling in a way she didn't know was possible. But everything was about to change, Carlisle Cullen was back.
1. Chapter 1

"Dr. Charles! Can I see you for a minute?" I called out seeing him round the corner of the clinic; he turned as he heard my voice.

"Of course Bella, how can I help?" he asked me with a smile. I always liked Dr. Charles, I had been here in Kosovo for just over a year with the Peace Corps and I had worked with him that whole time.

"Slava came into the clinic this morning with a fever, I wanted to ask your advice." I showed him the chart with her information and he looked it over.

"Her brother came in a few days ago with the same symptoms, it looks like typhoid," he said with a disappointed face. Everyone here in the village loved Slava.

"What do you recommend? The antibiotics are still stuck at the border," the Republic of Kosovo had declared its independence in 2008 and its relations with Serbia had been anything but good. It seemed the truck carrying our normal shipment of antibiotics and other supplies wasn't being allowed to cross the border into Kosovo.

"Fluids try and keep down her fever. If the antibiotics still haven't by tomorrow I'll see about working something out on my way home." He advised.

"You're going home?" I was truly disappointed, he was an amazing doctor.

"Yes tomorrow actually, I'm sorry Bella I thought I had told you." He explained, walking with me back to the clinic.

"That's alright; I am going to miss you. It's truly been a pleasure working with you." I said giving him a hug.

"I'll miss you as well Bella, but I know my wife will be happy to have me back. Two years is a long time to be so far away from home." He smiled down at me; I had met his wife and one of his children this past December when they came to visit him. She was a beautiful woman, inside and out I understood why they were together, they were a perfect match.

"I don't know what the clinic is going to do without you," I told him honestly.

"Well there is a little get together tonight wishing me off, it's also a welcome for the new doctor that will be taking over for me. I hope to see you there," we said our goodbyes and I got back to work in the clinic.

It had been a hectic day; several workers from the fields had come down with tick-borne encephalitis or TBE. There was a group of Peace Corps volunteers teaching the natives about agriculture, and the types of plants they could farm. We were coming out of the coldest months; ticks were a common problem this time of year. The volunteers had been vaccinated against this kind of thing before they left the U.S. but we didn't have the kind of resources to do the same for the natives.

I spent the rest of my day and into the night helping people in the clinic. By the time I had finished for the day I was much too tired to go to Dr. Charles going away party.

I caught up with Dr. Charles luckily and gave him another goodbye privately and apologized for not coming to the party. I told him again what an honor it was working with him, he really was a great doctor and he had made me better at what I did.

I walked back to my host family's house exhausted from the day. I had been staying with a family for a little over a year now; it was a mother and her two children. They had actually been pretty lucky compared to some of the other families in the village. Their father had been lost; he was a solider fighting for the independence of their country. The family he left behind had gotten some money from him which gave them more than many other families.

I let myself into the house quietly knowing everyone was surely asleep. I went to my room and turned on a small light I kept over my bed and pulled out my small notebook, I kept it with me at all times. I jotted down a few things from my day, notes about patients and things I needed to do tomorrow.

I was about to put my notebook away when I saw a name flash across one of the pages, a page that I hadn't looked at in weeks. I turned to the page and ran my finger across the name at the very top. Memories of conversations ran through my mind like a freight train. I had written down everything I could remember about them but one in particular. I felt the old feelings squeeze my heart making it hard to breathe.

I skimmed over everything I had written on the page before running my finger over the name again. I let out a shaky breath looking at the name one last time. 'Dr. Carlisle Cullen' the name I wrote on the top of the page.

I closed my book not wanting the dwell on things I couldn't change. I switched off my light and lied down. I had dreams of vampires, hooded figures, and stone castles. When I woke I was still tired, I hadn't slept well with all the strange things in my dreams. I went into the minimal kitchen to start some breakfast for myself when Yasen, an 8 year old boy how was part of my host family, came into the kitchen and gave me a hug.

"Dobré ráno Yasen!" I greeted him good morning, he had grown quiet found of me the past 14 months, which I loved, his sister who was 13 didn't share his feelings but I was working on it.

"Môj Bella," he smiled up at me, I really did love him like a little brother.

"Did you have breakfast yet?" I asked him, he shook his head no so I started pulling out more food to make for him.

"Wouldn't you walk me to me classes today?" He smiled up at me.

" _Would_ you walk me to _my_ classes today," I corrected him. "And I would be happy to, but doesn't your mother want to do that?" Yasen's mother was amazing; she would walk Yasen and his sister to their classes that were taught by other Peace Corps volunteers before she went to work with the other women making clothes and blankets in the village.

"Matka is sleeping, she was late to come home last night," he told me watching me make börek, a pastry that was a staple in their lives.

Yasen was learning English at one of the school we had set up a few years ago. I hadn't been here when it first opened but in the time I was here it had turned into an amazing school. I made Yasen breakfast as we talked about what he was learning in school. I hadn't seen Jasna, Yasen's sister, yet this morning but that wasn't unusual, she had a very hard time losing her father. Yasen had been 9 when she lost her father her brother was only 4, she still remembered him. She spent a lot of time away from the house, possibly with her friends, I wasn't really sure.

After we had finished our breakfast, I walked him to the school and wished him a good day before I walked to the clinic to start my day.

As I pushed open the door to the clinic I was met with a little boy running up to me wrapping his arms around my legs.

"Miss. Bella!" he greeted me laughing.

"How are you feeling today Vuk?" I asked him. Vuk was a 5 year old boy who had contracted Hepatitis A. This was a disease I hadn't seen very often, everyone in the U.S. was vaccinated but children here didn't have that luxury.

"I am good Miss. Bella," he smiled up at me still wrapped around my legs. I smiled back down at him, we were lucky to have caught that he even had it. It was very hard to diagnose in children but it didn't cause prolonged health problems which I was more than thankful for.

"How about we go sit down so I can look at you?" I asked him, he nodded his head and ran to his bed jumping up on it. I laughed, it was good to see him up just a week ago he was vomiting almost every hour.

I walked over to his bed and started going over his vitals, asking him questions about how he was feeling, and how he slept. I was almost done with Vuk when Charlotte, another volunteer at the clinic, came over.

"Hey Bella, how's Vuk doing?" she asked smiling down at him. I liked Charlotte a lot. We had gotten close my first month here and had spent most of our days off together.

"He's doing great, I think he'll be able to go back home in a couple days," I told her. "What's up?" she normally went to work with her own patients, not that I minded her checking up on mine. I always welcomed her advice on everything.

"I just wanted to introduce you to the new doctor he got here last night," she told me turning towards him. I looked up to his face when my heart stopped; a pair of golden eyes met mine. I heard Charlotte talking; I'm sure introducing us though it wasn't necessary. This was a man I knew, had known, it felt like it was a past life coming back to haunt me. I was half way across the world and still he had found me.

"Carlisle," a whisper escaped my lips.


	2. Chapter 2

"Yea, do you two know each other?" Charlotte asked a very confused look on her face.

"Yes, I met her in Washington when she was 16. You've grown up Bella," he said looking at me. I couldn't move, couldn't speak how was this happening, this couldn't be happening.

"Oh, well that's great!" Charlotte said, "I'll let you two get reacquainted, I have a few patients to see." She smiled at both of us and walked off. Carlisle walked around the bed towards me, still looking in my eyes.

"Bella, please know I had no idea you were here but I would love to talk to you. I have so many things to say," he reached a hand towards my arm but I pulled back.

I looked away and swallowed the lump in my throat. I tried to think, tried to talk but I couldn't. I had fantasies about this years ago, right after they left but it was morbid. I told myself they weren't healthy, I wasn't ever going to see them again and I just had to accept it, but here he was. Standing in front of me, I tried not to look at him but I couldn't stop myself.

He was exactly as I had remembered him. Tall, he was so tall. His hair was beautifully blond and messy but in a perfect way only a vampire could pull off. His face was soft, gentle almost but I knew that if I touched it, it would be hard as marble. He wasn't wearing the white lab coat I had seen on him the first time we met, instead he had on jeans and a button up kaki colored shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

I had just opened my mouth to say something, but right as I did the doors to the clinic burst open. I snapped my head around and saw Jasna looking around franticly. When she spotted me she ran from the door towards me.

"Bella, you must help! Matka has fell, she won't get up! Please, please help," she was tugging on the sleeve of my shirt, tears in her eyes.

I grabbed Jasna's hand and started to run towards the house. Somewhere along the way I vaguely registered that Carlisle was running alongside us.

When we made it to the house Jasna pulled me into her mother's room, as we opened the door I saw her laid on the floor. I went to her and felt for a pulse, it was weak but it was there.

"What is wrong with her?" Jasna cried she was kneeling by her mother. I put my hand to her forehead, she was burning up.

"I think she a fever, we have to get her back to the clinic." I told Jasna trying to calm her.

Carlisle, who hadn't said a word since we left the clinic bent down and picked her up carrying her out of the room.

Jasna sat on the floor still, not moving but sobs were racking her body.

"Jasna, look at me. We are going to help her; I won't let anything happen to her. I promise you," it was a promise I fully intended to keep. These kids had lost enough; I wasn't going to let their mother die.

"I have to go with the doctor back to the clinic, would you like to come or stay here?" I asked her hurriedly.

"I must go," she said looking up at me. Her broken face shattered my heart.

"Then we have to go now," I held out my hand to her which she took and we started running.

By the time we got back to the clinic Carlisle had her in a bed and was listening to her heart, I went right over to help him.

"Any idea what this could be, does she have any long term illnesses?" Carlisle asked me not looking up.

"No, nothing like that, we've had two cases of typhoid in the past two days but this feels different," the kids with typhoid fever were stable. Very sick but stable, and would stay that way for at least a few days. I had seen her yesterday morning before I went to work and she was fine.

"No this isn't typhoid, I think it's something very different, I'm just not sure what." He continued to look her over while I wracked my brain. I had to know the answer; I lived with her I spent every night with her. I pulled my notebook out of my back pocket and started searching through the pages. I wrote everything in here, there had to be something. Carlisle was looking at me like I was crazy, I'm sure he had no idea what I was doing, but I continued to look until…there it was.

"Oh god, they just said two people in a nearby village had been diagnosed with Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever. Its symptoms show suddenly, fever, dizziness which could have caused the fall." I told him, I had seen it when I checked the news just two days ago and jotted it down in my notebook.

"She needs antivirals then," Charlotte said from the end of the bed.

"We have to get her in the car; we need to take her into town. Our meds got stopped at the border, who knows how long till it gets here." I said to Carlisle.

"One of us will need to stay here to look after things," he said not looking up.

"You two go, I'll stay here." Charlotte said before I could say anything. I looked at her with an incredulous look; Charlotte was always the first one to volunteer to go out in the field. She just looked at me and nodded smiling slightly. Carlisle said nothing just picked up Jasna's mother and headed outside. I went to grab the car keys from the office, if I had known my day would be so crazy I doubt I would have had the heart to get out of bed.

After that I thought I told myself, 'Ok, no more self-pity I have to focus.' I ran out to the car and unlocked it then held the back door open for Carlisle though I knew he would have been able to do it himself. He turned to me and held out his hand.

"I'll drive," he said. I placed the keys in his hand knowing he'd be the one to get us there faster. I ran to the other side and got into the passenger seat, buckling my belt. As soon as I did Carlisle put his foot on the gas.

The way there was silent except for a few things Carlisle asked me along the way. Where to turn, things about the shipment that hadn't arrived, it was all very businesslike.

When we pulled up to the clinic in town Carlisle grabbed Jasna's mother from the back and we hurried her inside. I was starting to get concerned about why she hadn't woken up yet.

As soon as we got into the clinic one of the doctors came right over calling for a gurney. Carlisle and I walked back with him explaining what we thought was happening. The fever that we suspected, he said he would run some tests to confirm.

They brought her into one of the curtained off rooms in the clinic, I wanted to go in with them but we were asked to step back.

After a few minutes I started to pace back and forth, not able to hide my worry.

"What's her name?" Carlisle asked me suddenly, making me stop and look up at him.

"Zlata, her name is Zlata. It means golden," I smiled thinking back to the first time we met. Carlisle smiled back at me.

"I always thought Slavic names were particularly beautiful," I said lightly.

"Oh really?" Carlisle asked me with a smile.

"Yea, I mean the French are a close second but…"I shrugged.

"What French names do you like?" he asked me.

"Well I do have a slight obsession with Antoinette," it was true I really did love that name.

"As in Marie Antoinette?" Carlisle asked raising an eyebrow at me making me laugh.

"Well I don't think she's the brightest role model with the whole, 'Let them eat cake' thing," I teased him. I couldn't believe I was joking with Carlisle about French culture; it was just as easy as it had been 7 years ago, like no time had passed. He was about to say something but stopped and looked up. One of the doctors came out from behind the curtain.

"She's doing well, we've started the test and we've given her some fluids. We do think she might have a small concussion, but she's awake now. I think she'd like to see you," he lead us back and I saw Zlata sitting up. She looked at me as I walked around and held out her arms to me, I went to her and hugged her.

"Thank you Bella, how are my babies? You've seen them?" she pulled back, of course she would ask about her children before herself.

"I saw both of them, they're fine. We'll get you better and you'll be back to them in no time." I smiled down at her, she was so astounding.

"Thank you. Ďakujem, thank you." She said her eyes starting to close.

"Rest, I'll be here when you wake up." I stepped out of the room to let her sleep. I walked outside and saw Carlisle talking to the doctor.

"Excuse me," I said and I really looked at the doctor for the first time. "Oh, Dr. Grant I didn't realize it was you," I had known Dr. Grant for about a year now, my second month here I came down with a fever and had to be taken here.

"Bella, please call me Brian." He smiled at me.

"Did you get the results from the lab?" I asked.

"Not yet, I'll go check on them." He nodded and left down the hall.

"So you two know each other?" Carlisle asked me, I couldn't read the look on his face.

"I came down with the flu just a couple months after I arrived, they brought me here just to be safe." I told him honestly.

"Bella, can we talk?" Carlisle asked me.

"Sure, let's go somewhere a little more private." I walked out of the clinic and back to the car, after we both got in I wasn't sure what to say.

"I didn't want to leave," he said to me making me look up at him in surprise.

"I knew Edward was being irrational but there was no talking him out of it. Then some things happened, but that doesn't matter. I shouldn't have left; I've regretted it every day since. I've never stopped thinking of you Bella," Carlisle's eyes begged me to understand.

I wasn't sure what to say, I assumed that all the Cullen's had stopped seeing me as family once Edward and I were over.

"You never tried to find me," I said looking down at my hands. It was a thought I'd had many times, even if Edward had made them all leave surely one of them would have tried to find me. No one ever came though, not in 7 years.

"I did Bella, for a long time Edward made me swear not to look you up but after a while I couldn't stand not knowing. I went to Alice and she said she couldn't tell me anything, that it would do more harm than good. So I went to Edward and convinced him to let me at least see if you were ok, but there was nothing Bella. You didn't attend graduation, no one knew if you were going to college much less which one. I'm sure you let your father know but I didn't think I should ask him, Edward didn't want you back in this world. I looked Bella, it was like you fell off the face of the Earth." he slowly grabbed my hand in his. I was shocked to say the least.

"Why would you try so hard to look for me?" I asked. Why would he even bother? Edward was the one who was with me and he obviously hadn't put that effort into it. Carlisle also had Esme, why was I so important?

"You're special Bella; I've known that since I first met you." He said looking at me; I was at a loss for words. I had never felt special, compared to the Cullen's I was downright boring.

"Duke," I whispered to him.

"What?" he said a confused look on his face.

"I went to Duke, in North Carolina. I had graduated early from Forks High, then I went to Duke and I graduated from there in 2004." I explained to him rambling slightly.

"Duke University, very prestigious." He smiled over at me my hand still in his.

"I enjoyed myself while I was there," I told him honestly.

"What did you major in?" he asked me and I looked away. I wasn't ready to get into that discussion yet, maybe ever.

"Where's Esme?" I asked obviously changing the subject.

"Well, that's a very long story, one for another time." He told me looking out the driver side window.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, he didn't let go of my hand until we both saw Dr. Grant walking out the doors toward us. We both got out and met him half way.

"We got the results back and you were right, it is Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever. It's extraordinary that you thought of it, but we started a course of antivirals she'll have to stay here tonight. I think she'll be ready to take home by tomorrow morning." Dr. Grant let us know and I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders.

"Thank you so much Dr. Grant," I said genuinely. He wasn't my favorite doctor here at the clinic but today he was my favorite person.

"You're very welcome Bella," he smiled at me a little too friendly. "You're more than welcome to stay with her overnight but we don't have any private rooms available."

"Oh, I need to get back. There's no one to look after her kids, and her son still doesn't know what's happened." I explained to both Dr. Grant and Carlisle.

"I can stay with her tonight," Carlisle offered surprising me.

"Are you sure? You don't have to." I didn't want him to feel obligated.

"Of course, you go back and I'll see you tomorrow morning." He told me smiling. "You should head back soon," he handed me the keys.

I said my goodbyes to the both of them, feeling very strange about the whole day. I made my way quickly back to the village and was greeted with an eager Charlotte.

"How did it go?" she asked though I was sure that's not what had her so excited.

"Zlata is going to stay overnight and Dr. Cullen is going to stay with her." I explained getting out of the car.

"Oh, Dr. Cullen is it?" she teased me nudging my shoulder.

"What's up with you?" I asked she was never like this.

"Are you kidding? This is the Dr. Cullen right? Carlisle Cullen the father of your high school sweetheart." She practically squealed at me.

"Oh, um….yea that's him. And Edward wasn't my high school sweetheart," I said walking past her.

"Bella, come on! This is the guy that made you even want to try and be a doctor. Isn't he the reason you joined the Peace Corps?" she asked me.

"Carlisle made me…" I stopped; he had made me a lot of things. He made me want things for myself that I knew would never have happened if I had stayed with Edward. He made me want to help people, I remember thinking, if I ever turned into a vampire I'd want to be like him. Then when Edward left me I found I still wanted the same things for my human life.

"Bella?" I heard Charlotte say, I realized I had been quiet for too long.

"I really need to go check on Jasna," I walked past her and went to my host house. I searched through all the rooms but couldn't find her anywhere. I went to the next place I could think of.

Walking through the village to the school I saw Jasna sitting outside her head in her hands. I walked over and sat down next to her.

"What are you doing out here?" I asked her.

"Waiting for Yasen, what will I tell him?" she asked looking up at me.

"Tell him his mother is going to be fine, she'll be back tomorrow. I can tell him with you if that's what you want," I told her. She said nothing but nodded her head.

We sat there together waiting for Yasen; we didn't have to wait long. He came hurtling at me but stopped when he saw the look on his sisters face.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Come on Yasen, lets walk home." I grabbed his hand and started to walk.

Jasna and I explained everything that had happened minus a few details, mostly just letting him know his mother would be ok.

He took it rather well, asking a few questions about her and where she was. Jasna and I answered everything we could.

After we had all sat down and talked for a while I went to work on dinner for everyone. I was almost half way through when Charlotte came in to check on everyone.

"How did it go?" she asked me.

"Not bad actually, he took it really well." I told her.

"That's good, now we can talk about you." She came over to me and leaned against the counter crossing her arms.

"You aren't going to let this go are you?" I asked sighing.

"Not a chance, I've known you for a long time Bella. I know you haven't told me everything about what happened with them but I can see it in your eyes." Charlotte could always see through me, it was why I loved her so much.

"It's hard to explain," I couldn't exactly give it to her straight, she would think I was nuts.

"Well let's start with Carlisle, he's Edwards dad right?" she asked me.

"Adoptive dad yea," I smiled. The whole Cullen family had been 'adopted'.

"So what happened there?" she said looking at me quizzically.

"Edward and I dated, we broke up right before he moved away." I told her, it was mostly the truth.

"No, I mean what happened with Carlisle?" she asked rolling her eyes.

"Nothing happened!" I said slightly offended.

"Bella please, you don't become a doctor then join the Peace Corps because of your ex-boyfriends dad if nothing happened. Don't lie to me Bella," she said frustrated. I wanted to hurt her; I couldn't really give her the full story. Not without telling her about vampires and mates and a whole bunch of other things.

"I'm not a doctor," I told her.

"Not yet! Don't act like it's not going to happen, and stop avoiding the subject." I knew she wasn't going to let up.

"It's complicated. I loved Edward I really did, well I thought I did. But one day I looked up and it was like I only loved certain pieces of him. After he left I realized everything I loved about Edward was just pieces of Carlisle. Oh god, that's the worst thing I've ever said, I'm a terrible person." I was so ashamed.

"Bella stop, you are the farthest thing from a bad person. It's just how you feel, and I don't blame you. He is sorta dreamy," she teased.

"He's married, I can't think about him like that." I was blushing now.

"People get divorced all the time Bella," she snorted.

"Not these two, they were in love." I couldn't really explain that they were vampire mates.

"He's not wearing a wedding ring," she smirked at me, my jaw dropped. There was no way, they had been mates but then again Edward told me we were mates and he still left me. And I couldn't think of any logical reason that he wouldn't be wearing his wedding ring.

"Look I have to finish dinner," I said trying to get her out of there.

"Yea, sure." She smirked pushing off the counter. "See you tomorrow Bella."

"Goodbye Charlotte." I sneered.

I spent the rest of the night trying not to think about it. The kids and I ate, Yasen played for a while but then it was time for him to get to his homework. He and Jasna both went to their room.

I cleaned everything up from dinner and tried to busy myself as much as possible but I couldn't put it off any longer. I went to my room and opened up my notebook turning to the page that I had looked at last night and started reading it again.

 _ **A/N: Short and sweet chapter, I promise they will get longer. Please let me know what you think so far!**_


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